Bracket



Oct, 11, 1949.

w. c. EAVES BRACKET Filed Sept. 5, 1946 INVENTOR. WILLIAM C. EAVES.

Patented Oct. 11, 1949 BRACKET William C. Eaves, =Elyria, OhioApplication September 5, 1946, Serial 'No."694,-8'68 ,fifllai-ms. (01.248- -1 The present invention vrelates (generally :to supporting meansand is particularly :ooncernedw-ith a novel bracket having a movablearm, and with a ;novel rack including such a bracket.

There has long been a demand for supporting means of smallsizeisuitablefor .use in passenger automobiles and similar places of limited space,which means would have .a large load capacit and when notrinpsercould:loecollapsed-or otherwise :moved out :of the way for safety and spaceconserving reasons. :To the best of ?my knowledge, no satisfactory meansresponding to this demand has ever been ,conceived or used, and anyevent, none or presently available on the open market.

The bracketsandracks pithisdnvention fully meet this demand and areinexpensive because their manufacture requires neither expensivematerials nor complicated or numerous :operations. Furthermore, thedevicesof thisinvention comprise a minimum Q'f.;s'imp1e"parts whichinlay be assembled and installed easily. addition. :because of the 'factthat-the parts rofsthe brackets or hooks 50f this invention :aremovablewith respect to each other, ztwo-orimore such hooks may beemployed together with .one or nmre rods-to make a strong but easily:assemblcd irank. .Another advantage due to the design :.of thesebrackets is that .a bracket collapsible by;mo.v.emerit of .the arm to:the right or collapsible by movement tothe left :mayzhermade .trom thesame parts to meet space limitations in :the :places where the bracketsare to be employed.

Those skilled in the-art Willgainaifurtheriunderstanding of thisinvention by referring -.to :the drawings accompanying and storming .a:part :of this specification, in'which ure 1 is an edge view of abracketembody n this .invention;

Figure 2 is .an edge view partly in section :of the bracket of Fig..zlwith the parts disposed in alternative position;

Figure 3 :is a perspective view :of :the :same bracket with the partsdisposed as illustrated in Fig. 1;

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the same bracket with :the partszdisposed :as shown in Fig.

Figure15 is a peispe'ctive view of zthe bracketih lustrating the mannerinwhichthe ypartsareiassembled; and,

Figure 6 is a perspective vlewrofaxaqkzemboilying this invention.

The brackets of thisinvenfioniin general 30.!!

' prise a phtePandanza-rmhearried :byithe plate .2 .ior limitedmotionrelative to said plate. The -racks in general comprise two or moresuch brackets and one v:or more .rods R extending bertween .andsupported by arms A :of adjacent brackets.

The illustrated plate ;P is .formed from :a sub- .stantia'lly .flatplate by cutting :a :U-shaped slit :between the edges of the-plate, andfolding the :pla'te :to define a hollow :rib :IEO extending from :edgeto edge of :the plate and having a longitudinally extending slot llintermediate of said .edges. The slot 1! l :isaproduced by maintaining atongue-like portion 1 2 defined :by the slot in substantially itsoriginal position while the plate is :lfolded. The rib Ill is thus openat the back --of :the \plate and is defined by substantially parallelside walls :13 and M which-extend upwardly from ithe iface-of -theplate, :andby an arcuate top wall 4% joining the side walls. These sidewalls are so spaced that they may constitute frictional means to -engagea portion of the arm A and-oppose-movement of said arm relative to plateP. The lower portion of wall [4 :carries a lug 1 6 which alsoconstitutes frictional arm retaining means and is disposed between thewalls to engageand lock *the arm -A in'predetermined'closed position aswill-be described. "The tongue 12 ex- -tends partially across the openback of the rib Ill "and defines a slot 1-8 with the opposed side wall14. The slot 18 is slightly wider than the thickness of the arm A, whileslot H is of substantially greater width-extending the full widthoi-walls13and 15. The plate is further provided with-two apertures 29disposed on "opposite sides of the rib ID to receive screws 2 forsecuring the plate to a supporting -member.

The arm A of the illustrated bracket is an elongated, relatively thinmember having hookj'like notches '25 cut into an edge surface and havingalso aperturesZS. The arm is provided with end portion 2] .of greaterwidth than 'the'length of .slot H and another .end portion 28 andcentral portion 2.9 of ,less width than the length of said .slot and.less thickness .than the width .of

said slot. The relation of the thickness of the portions 28 and .29 tothe slot M issuchthatarcuate movement of the arm with respect to :theihl'ate through substantially is possible.

By length, width and thickness, in 5178ference to the arm A, I mean,respectively, the dimension from the end .21 to endZS, the dimen- .sionibetweentthe :edgesof the arm (the vertical idimfinsion)e,.and :thedimensionbetweenth sides diriaces of the arm. :In the illustrated iarm,

length is the greatest and width is the smallest dimension.

The illustrated rack comprises a pair of brackets of the type describedand two rods 30 and 3|, each of which extends through a pair ofregistered apertures 26 in the arms A. Rod 30 is a relatively long andthin element having a diameter substantially equal to that of theapertures 26, through which it extends. Rod 3| is likewise relativelylong, but has a central portion 32 of enlarged diameter and end portionsof reduced diameter substantially equal to that of the apertures 26,through which said ends extend. The length of portion 32 issubstantially equal to the distance separating the opposed surfaces ofthe arms A of adjacent pockets with which rod 3| is engaged. The ends ofthe rod, however, are relatively short portions so that the over-alllength of the rod is only slightly greater than the length of the spacebetween the arms.

In assembling the'illustrated brackets, the end 28 of the arm isinserted in slot l8 and the arm is urged through the slot and throughslot ll until the enlarged end portion 21 is disposed within rib ID. Thearm is then moved into a position either substantially at right anglesto the plate for use as a hook or as part of a rack, or substantiallyparallel to the plate, where the arm is locked in closed position byforcing the edge of end portion 21 opposed to the lug it upon the lug.

When the bracket is to be secured to a wall or other supporting means,the plate is placed against the surface of the wall and with apertures20 of the plate arm disposed out of the way the screws 2| are insertedin apertures 20 of the plate and are screwed into the Wall.

Disassembly is accomplished by reversing the foregoing steps andremoving the plate from the wall, ejecting the end 21 of the arm fromwithin the rib through slot l6, and urging the arm in such directionthat the remaining portions of the arm are disengaged from the plate.

If a hook or bracket collapsible by arcuate movement of the arm to theright with respect to the plate is desired, the slot II is disposed tothe right prior to insertion of the arm into the slots II and IS withhook portions of the arm disposed upright, as described above. A lefthand hook can be made from the same parts by disposing the slot I6 tothe leftbefore the arm is engaged with the plate as described.

In assembling the rack of Fig. 5, two brackets of the type describedwere assembled so that the arm A of each bracket could be moved towardthe other bracket to collapse or close the bracket. With the arms eachbeing disposed in the open position at substantially right angles to theplate, and with the plates P each being secured by screws 2| to asupporting wall, rods 30 and 3| were inserted in opposed pairs ofregistered apertures 26. Because rod 3| is slightly longer than thedistance between arms A, the arms must be temporarily sprung to a smallextent to enable insertion of the ends of rod 3| into apertures 26. Suchspringing, however, is not diflicult to accomplish nor suflicient inextent to deform the arms permanently.

In the open position the arms of these brackets engage tongues l2 andare braced against the tongues so that soft backing surface of thesupporting structure for the bracket will not be torn or damaged as aresult of loads being applied to the arms and causing the edges andcorners of ends 21 of the arms to bear directly against said ..may, forinstance, comprise a plurality of lugs IE, or a rib, disposed along thelower edge of wall IS. A lug, or lugs, or a rib, likewise may be tilcarried by tongue l2 to engage arm A in predetermined open position, orin partially open position, as desired.

Having thus described the present invention so that those skilled in theart may be able to understand and practice the same, I state that what Idesire to secure by Letters Patent is defined in what is claimed.

I claim:

1. A bracket'comprisin a plate having a slotted hollow rib provided withsubstantially parallel side walls and an arcuate top wall, an armengaged with the plate for limited motion relative to said plate, andfrictional means including a lug carried by one of the side walls anddisposed between said walls for locking the arm in predeterminedposition relative to the plate, said arm having an enlarged end portionretained within said walls and a central portion extending through theslot in the rib.

2. A bracket comprising a plate having a hollow ri-b extendingsubstantially across the plate, and an arm engaged with said plate forarcuate motion in an arcuate path relative to the plate throughsubstantially said rib being provided with a slot, and said arm havingan end portion of greater width than length of said slot and disposedWithin said rib, and having another end portion and a central portion ofless width than the length of the slot and of less thickness than thewidth of the slot, said central and end portion of reduced width beingdisposed outside of said rib.

3. A bracket comprising a plate having a hollow rib extendingsubstantially across the plate and own on the back of said plate, and anarm engaged with the plate for movement through substantially 90relative to the plate, said rib being provided with a, longitudinallyextending slot and having a lug carried by an inside surface portion ofthe rib, and said arm having an end portion of greater width than thelength of said slot and disposed within said rib, and having acentral'portion and another end portion of less width than the length ofthe slot, said central and end portion of reduced width being disposedoutside of said rib and said enlarged end portion engaging the lug andbeing locked against ready movement relative to the plate.

4. A bracket comprising a plate having a hol low rib extendingsubstantially across the plate and open on the back of the plate, andhaving a tongue extending partially across the back of the rib anddefining a slot, and an arm engaged with the plate for arcuate movementthrough substantially 90 relative to the plate, said rib being providedwith a longitudinally extending slot in the top surface of the plate andhaving a lug carried by an inside surface portion of the rib to engagesaid arm in predetermined position and oppose movement from saidposition of said arm relative to said plate, said arm having end portionadapted to be disposed in said rib while the remaining part of the armextends through the slot in the top surface of the plate, and saidtongue being disposed to engage the enlarged end portion of the arm andoppose movement of the arm relative to the plates when the arm isdisposed in another predetermined position.

5. A supporting device comprising a pair of plates each having a hollowrib provided with a slot and each having an arm provided with anaperture and extending through said slot, and a rod having opposite endportions disposed in the apertures of said arms, said arms each beingsubstantially parallel to each other and perpendicular to the plates,and a rod extending between said brackets and having end portions ofreduced thickness extending through said transverse apertures, said rodhaving shoulders adjacent the reduced end portions engaging said armsand substantially preventing motion of the arms toward each other.

WM. C. EAVES.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 542,515 Boyer July 9, 1895573,985 Kunz Dec. 29, 1896 796,676 Rogers Aug. 8, 1905 870,008 BedellNov. 5, 1907 1,216,277 Brunner Feb. 20, 1917 1,703,872 Engelson Mar. 5,1929

